The Top 10 Coolest Movie Characters of 2004

Compiled by: Jack Foley

EVERY year, Hollywood throws up a number of colourful personalities
we would love to be, or know, in real life.

Perhaps the coolest of cool characters are reserved for the likes
of Steve McQueen, in Bullitt or The
Great Escape, Clint Eastwood, in his Spaghetti Western persona,
or George Clooney or Brad Pitt, in their Ocean's
Eleven guise.

But 2004 conjured up several memorable turns, including the likes
of Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa and Tom Cruise in Collateral.

1)
Willie T Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton, Bad Santa:
Reason: The biggest anti-hero of them all, Stokes swears at
kids, pisses himself in shopping malls and robs stores at Christmas
to finance his drinking habit. What's not to like?Cool moments: Teaching his child protege how to defend
himself in the boxing ring, or laying into a toy donkey after
a particularly huge hangover are just two of the special moments
on showReview l Thornton
talks Stokes

2)
Creasy (Denzel Washington, Man on Fire)
Reason: Sneaking just ahead of Jason Bourne is Denzel Washington's
Creasy, a relentless, broken-hearted figure who really does take-no-prisoners
when it comes to avenging the kidnapping of the little girl who
taught him it was okay to live agin.Cool moments: His merciless torture of one of the primary
suspects in the kidnapping is a good starting point, but such
extremes are neatly offset by his quieter moments spent with Dakota
Fanning's Pita. He can be cold, but he also has heart, and is
willing to make the ultimate sacrifice if necessary.Review l Feature

3)
Jason Bourne (Matt Damon, The Bourne Supremacy)
Reason: He may be an amnesia-ridden former assassin, but the
way in which he ruthlessly sets about discovering the truth behind
his past and avenging the death of his lover is as cool and efficient
as they come.Cool moments: Fighting off a fellow assassin with a rolled
up magazine is pretty impressive for starters, but his interplay
with Joan Allen's CIA head and his climactic car chase mean there
are few cooler customers than Jason Bourne.Review l Matt
Damon interview

4)
Nameless (Jet Li, Hero)
Reason: Jet Li stars as a mystical fighter who has captured
the imagination of a nation by single-handedly defeating the trio
of resistance fighters who were believed to represent the biggest
threat to Daoming Chen’s king, Quin. Given that the fight
sequences rate among the most stunning of recent times, what's
not to like?Cool moments: His opening tussle with one assassin, in
a rain-soaked tample, sets the tone, while the way in which he
deals with an arrow attack simply has to be seen to be believed.
But everything Li does seems balletic.Review l Feature

5)
The Bride (Uma Thurman, Kill Bill: Volume 2)
Reason: Having dispensed with two of her five main enemies
in Volume One, The Bride had to change tactics somewhat to tackle
the remaining members of the Deadly Viper Gang. She did so with
typical relish, despite the odd harrowing moment for herself.Cool moments: Her almighty bitch tussle with Darryl Hannah's
Elle Driver rates as the movie's highpoint, but her final meeting
with David Carradine's Bill are terrific, as is her interplay
with Michael Madsen's washed-up Budd.Review l Feature

6)
Vincent (Tom Cruise, Collateral)
Why? In what proved to be a good year for anti-heroes and
villains, Tom Cruise took a trip to the dark side as a hitman
who kidnaps a cab driver in Michael Mann's excellent crime drama.Cool moments: His 'yo homies' response to a couple of gang-bangers
who hold up Jamie Foxx's cab drew instant cheers from cinema audiences,
while his cool manner in dispensing with Barry Shabaka Henley's
jazz trumpeter, not to mention his nightclub gun battle, place
Vincent at the top of the pile in the cool stakes.Review l Feature

6)
Charles Lane (Peter Sarsgaard, Shattered Glass): Reason: Speaking
as a former reporter/sub-editor on a local newspaper, Peter Sarsgaard's
Charles Lane is the sort of editor every journalist craves. Lane
was editor of New Republic magazine at the time Stephen Glass
published his made-up articles and fought tooth and nail to protect
his publication, his reputation and the reputation of the industry.
Sarsgaard's performance ought to serve as an inspiration to anyone
considering media as a profession.Cool moments: There's no one particular moment when Sarsgaard
shines, rather it is what he brings to the role and the compassion,
common sense and anger he shows at various points, in order to
get the truth behind Glass's lies.Review l Director's
statement

8)
Fin (Peter Dinklage, The Station Agent)
Why? He may be small in stature, but Fink, the dwarf at the
centre of the delightful Station Agent, is as big-hearted as they
come, and his friendship with Bobby Cannavale's ice-cream salesman
(another cool customer) is beautifully played.Cool moments: Jumping out of the way of Patricia Clarkson’s
oncoming vehicle (twice), or his knowing look when her estranged
husband pops by one morning are two examples of Fin's laidback
cool, while his desperate attempts to help Clarkson late on are
wonderfully played.Review l Interview

9)
Shelly Caplow (Alec Baldwin, The Cooler): He may have been
the villain of the piece, but it's testament to Alec Baldwin's
portrayal of him that sleazy casino owner, Shelly Caplow, remained
one of the most memorable creations of the year - a man capable
of dastardly deeds, yet who retained an element of sympathy.Cool moments: The aggressive way he deals with anyone who
dares to cheat him frequently impressed as much as shocked, but
his interplay with William H Macy was always terrific, as were
his final scenes.Review l Feature

10)
Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas, Shrek 2):
Reason: It was never going to be an easy task out-performing
Eddie Murphy's wise-cracking Donkey in this popular sequel, but
Antonio Banderas stepped up to the challenge with aplomb, giving
himself a headache for how to pitch the Zorro sequel in the process.Cool moments: Just take a look at the picture above and
tell us that's not cool, especially when used to decept victims
into thinking he is really just a cute little cat!Review l Interview
feature